Matthew Henry Commentary Acts 8
Matthew Henry Commentary
Acts 8
Matthew Henry Commentary
Acts 8
"And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison. They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word." — Acts 8:1-4 (ASV)
Though persecution must not drive us from our work, yet it may send us to work elsewhere. Wherever the established believer is driven, he carries the knowledge of the gospel, and makes known the preciousness of Christ in every place. Where a simple desire of doing good influences the heart, it will be found impossible to shut a man out from all opportunities of usefulness.
"And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did. For [from] many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed. And there was much joy in that city. But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great. And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed." — Acts 8:5-13 (ASV)
As far as the gospel prevails, evil spirits are dislodged, particularly unclean spirits. All inclinations to the lusts of the flesh, which war against the soul, are of this kind. Spiritual ailments are mentioned here—those most difficult to cure by natural means and most expressive of the disease of sin. Pride, ambition, and the desire for grandeur have always caused a great deal of harm, both to the world and to the church.
The people said of Simon, This man is the great power of God. See how ignorant and thoughtless people err. But how strong is the power of Divine grace, by which they were brought to Christ, who is Truth itself! The people not only paid attention to what Philip said but were fully convinced that it was from God, and not from men, and they surrendered themselves to be guided by it.
Even bad men, and those whose hearts are still set on covetousness, may come before God as His people do, and for a time continue with them. And many marvel at the proofs of divine truths, yet never experience their power. The preached gospel may have a common effect on a soul where it never produced inward holiness.
All are not savingly converted who profess to believe the gospel.
"Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles` hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee. For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me. They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans." — Acts 8:14-25 (ASV)
The Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of these converts with the extraordinary powers conveyed by the Spirit's descent on the day of Pentecost. We can take encouragement from this example to pray for God to give the renewing graces of the Holy Spirit to all for whose spiritual welfare we are concerned, as this includes all blessings. No one can impart the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands; however, we should use our best efforts to instruct those for whom we pray.
Simon Magus was ambitious to have the honour of an apostle but did not care at all to have the spirit and disposition of a Christian. He was more desirous of gaining honour for himself than of doing good to others. Peter showed him his crime. He valued the wealth of this world as if it could suffice for matters related to the next life, and could purchase the pardon of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life.
This was such a condemning error that it was utterly inconsistent with a state of grace. Our hearts are what they are in the sight of God, who cannot be deceived. And if they are not right in his sight, our religion is vain and will be of no use to us. A proud and covetous heart cannot be right with God.
It is possible for a person to continue under the power of sin, yet to put on a form of godliness. When tempted with money to do evil, recognize what a perishable thing money is, and scorn it. Do not think that Christianity is a trade to make a living by in this world. There is much wickedness in the thought of the heart—its false notions, corrupt affections, and wicked projects—which must be repented of, or we are undone.
But it will be forgiven upon our repentance. The doubt here concerns the sincerity of Simon's repentance, not his pardon, if his repentance was sincere. Grant us, Lord, a different kind of faith than that which only made Simon wonder and did not sanctify his heart. May we abhor all thoughts of making religion serve the purposes of pride or ambition.
And keep us from that subtle poison of spiritual pride, which seeks glory for itself even from humility. May we seek only the honour that comes from God.
"But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert. And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship; and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? [And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.] And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." — Acts 8:26-40 (ASV)
Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to His ministers in very unlikely places. We should strive to do good to those we meet while traveling. We should not be as shy of all strangers as some are inclined to be. Regarding those about whom we know nothing else, we know this: they have souls.
It is wise for those occupied with business to redeem time for holy duties, filling up every minute with something that will prove beneficial. When reading the Word of God, we should often pause to inquire about whom and what the sacred writers spoke; especially, our thoughts should be occupied with the Redeemer.
The Ethiopian was convinced by the teaching of the Holy Spirit of the exact fulfillment of Scripture. He came to understand the nature of the Messiah's kingdom and salvation and desired to be counted among the disciples of Christ. Those who seek the truth and spend their time searching the Scriptures will surely reap benefits.
The Ethiopian's avowal must be understood as expressing simple reliance on Christ for salvation and unreserved devotion to Him.
Let us not be satisfied until we obtain faith, as the Ethiopian did, through diligent study of the Holy Scriptures and the teaching of the Spirit of God. Let us not be satisfied until it is firmly established as a principle in our hearts. As soon as he was baptized, the Spirit of God took Philip away from him, so that he saw him no more; but this served to confirm his faith.
When the seeker of salvation becomes acquainted with Jesus and His gospel, he will go on his way rejoicing. He will fulfill his role in society and perform his duties from different motives and in a different manner than before.
Though one is baptized with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, this is not enough without the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Lord, grant this to every one of us; then we shall go on our way rejoicing.
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